Elkhart RV parts maker, Norco Industries, has agreed to a nearly $10,000 penalty after a state safety inspection found serious issues with a mechanical power press.
This story by Jordan Fouts originally appeared in the Elkhart Truth.
Norco Industries was notified of three serious violations following an inspection by the Indiana Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The issues found during the inspection resulted in a proposed penalty totaling $15,000.
The three serious violations were related to a 60-ton mechanical power press used in the slide out line. They included:
- Exposing employees to a catch hazard because adequate guarding wasn’t given for pinch points on the front of the press
- Two hand controls weren’t secured to prevent movement, also exposing employees to caught-in hazards
- Employees weren’t trained and instructed in the safe method of operation before starting work on the press, creating another caught-in hazard.
The company was given until April 1 to address the problems.
Norco abated the issues and was given a reduced penalty of $3,250 for each violation, according to an agreement with IOSHA signed Friday. The company addressed the guarding issue for all six presses and retrained machine operators, according to the agreement.
